Count On Me
by FaithinBones
Summary: Ever since Max has returned in to his daughter's life he's wanted her to be able to rely on him, to count on him when she needed it.


(The Scare in the Score)

This story takes place before and up to episode 12x07.

I don't own Bones.

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All he'd ever wanted was to be the father Temperance had needed. It had broken his heart when he'd had to abandon her when she was fifteen, but her life and the life of her brother had been in extreme danger the minute his wife, Christine had realized that they were being followed while they were Christmas shopping. As soon as he'd figured out that it was someone from their old bank robbery gang they both realized that they couldn't go back home. If they led McViker back to their kids they might die as well and that was not going to happen.

They had never meant to be part of the Crew in the first place, but they had been told that if they didn't join and help with upcoming bank robberies planned in the Cincinnati and Dayton area then their whole family would be killed. Christine was sure they could work with the crew until they could find a way to escape from them. They plotted out what it would take for their entire family to get away and they knew that it would require new identities. It would take time, but it had to be done.

Max and Christine specialized in safety deposit robberies. They always robbed banks after they were closed for business for the day and no one was around. The Crew robbed banks for cash and they needed Max and Christine to help break into the safety deposit boxes. Their robberies were done during office hours and that meant employees and customers lives were placed in jeopardy with every bank heist. Christine couldn't stand the violence and as soon as it was possible, they had fled with their children, changing their names and getting out of the robbery business completely. They knew the Crew wasn't going to take their flight lightly and they had tried to keep a very low profile once they were living their new lives.

Unfortunately, in December of 1991, Vince McViker had found them and Max and Christine had been forced to run once more, this time without their children. Max hadn't really been worried about Russ. His son was nineteen and a man, but Tempe, she was fifteen and special. She had never been diagnosed as having autism, but Max knew she was on the scale somewhere. He had interested her in science at an early age to take advantage of her high IQ and the fact that she could probably be a leading authority in whatever field she chose to study. Max had dreamt of guiding her through high school and then college making sure she had a complete life and not just academia.

Running away from her had squelched that dream and he had counted on Russ to be that guide for her. It was years later before he found out that Russ had abandoned his sister to the state of Ohio and it had almost broken him. By that time, his little girl was a woman and working for the Jeffersonian Institute as a forensic anthropologist.

The fact that she was a well know anthropologist and a mystery writer placed an extra burden on Max. He knew that there was a secret organization in law enforcement that was looking for him. The organization was corrupt and over the years they had started to take cuts from the same bank robbers they were supposed to capture. He and Christine had broken into a safety deposit box at the Ohio First Savings and Loan in Dayton in 1978 while working for the Crew and found damning evidence being kept there by a Federal Agent named Augustus Harper. The evidence consisted of a diary of audio tapes and field notes. They had read about his murder in the paper and Christine realized that they were in danger. The people who had killed Gus Harper and framed Marvin Beckett for that murder would think nothing of killing Temperance or Russ Brennan to get at Max for that evidence. Not only had they hid from the crew, but the FBI knowing that they and their family would never survive if they were found.

In the end, Max had taken justice into his own hands and murdered Garrett Delaney and Robert Kirby to protect his children. The remaining corrupt law enforcement officers had got the message and left the Brennan children alone. No one wanted to end up lit up like a Roman candle on a hotel roof. He'd also turned over the damning evidence to his daughter who had given it to her a partner, an FBI Agent. The corrupt lawmen were finally brought to justice and the threat to his children was removed.

He also didn't have to worry about McViker or the crew anymore. McViker was the last surviving member of the crew and Max had arranged to end McVicker's life while he was waiting in prison to go to trial. All ties to his criminal past were gone and Max's son and daughter were safe.

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Over the years, Max had done all he could to get back into Brennan's life. He'd turned himself in to be tried for Robert Kirby's murder. When he was exonerated, it had surprised him that he wasn't tried for Garret Delaney's death, but he wasn't going to complain about it. Once more a free man, he'd tried to insert himself into the lives of his children. His wife, Christine had died in 1993 and he'd been without a family for a long time.

Russ had welcomed him into his family with open arms, but it had been a battle to get Temperance to accept him into her family. She didn't trust him and he knew he'd have to earn that trust if he ever wanted to be her father again.

A surprising ally in his fight to get back into the good graces of his daughter was her boyfriend/partner, Seeley Booth. For some reason the younger man liked him and Max tried not to disappoint Booth or betray his trust. He had never thought he'd ever become emotionally attached to anyone but his children, but Booth was someone Max could admire. The Agent was loyal to his family and would do anything to protect them. The day he and Temperance had become romantically involved, some of Max's fears for his daughter had faded away. He considered Booth a good man and he knew that when he died, Booth would be there for his daughter. When they married, Max had been so proud that he could now call Booth his son. He knew he could count on Booth to protect his daughter and granddaughter from any menace that appeared and what more could he ask for?

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His son-in-law's life was in danger and so were Temperance, Christine and Hank. Max was terrified for his family and he needed to help them. He needed to get his daughter to let him help. After a brief emotional conversation, she agreed and Max went to the safe house with his grandchildren. He vowed that no matter what happened, nothing was going to happen to his daughter's children.

While several FBI agents guarded the yard and the house, Max and the children watched television downstairs in the basement. At first the children had been afraid because of all the excitement and being separated from their parents, but Max's presence had calmed them down and soon they were relaxed. Agent Kovac stayed downstairs with them since her assignment was to be the children's bodyguard.

The day had gone by without incident until they heard a noise upstairs. Agent Kovac knew there was trouble and she had to find out what was going on. She pulled her gun, waved at Max to stay in the basement and she charged upstairs. A few shots fired shortly afterward and Max realized that the safe house had been invaded. Turning up the volume on the television, he encouraged the children to watch their favorite cartoon and he told them that he was going to go get them a snack.

As he moved up the staircase, he pulled his pistol from a holster he kept on his right hip and tried not to make any noise. Once at the top of the stairs, he slowly opened the door and peered out into the living room. At first his gaze was drawn to an agent lying on the floor. The man was hurt, but didn't appear to be dead. Agent Kovac wasn't in the area, but Max had to assume she was also hurt or dead. The appearance of two armed oddly dressed strangers was all he needed to see, to let him know that the safe house was no longer safe. Quickly stepping into the room, he fired at the men, hitting both of them. Even though he was mortally wounded, one of the men turned and fired at Max hitting the old man several times before he fell to the floor and died.

Max knew he was hit and felt himself fall to the floor. Terrified for his grandchildren, he pulled his body over to the doorway and leaned against it. He managed to partially sit up and aimed his gun towards the living room guarding his precious loved ones. He could feel the blood seeping from his chest, but he hoped he could stay alive long enough for help to arrive for the children.

In mere minutes, several agents poured into the living room and after a frustrating delay convincing Max that they were the good guys, they moved him away from the basement door and applied pressure on his wounds while they waited for an ambulance to arrive. While that was going on one of the agents hurried downstairs, picked up the children who were crying out of fear, carried them upstairs, through the doorway and instead of moving through the living room, carried them into the kitchen and out the back door.

Meanwhile, Max worried about Christine and Hank and pleaded with the agents to help them. "Please they're just little kids. Help them. Don't worry about me. Help them. Help them."

Agent Cogan tried to assure Max while blood seeped around his hands while he applied pressure on Max's wounds. "It's okay, Mr. Keenan. The kids are safe. Christine and Hank are with another agent. You don't need to worry about them."

"I wanted Tempe to be able to count on me." Max felt faint, but continued to talk. "I wasn't always the best father, but I needed her to be able to count on me."

Paramedics rushed into the house and over to where Max lay. As they took over, Max continued to talk. "My Tempe is tough and man she's so independent, but she trusts me now. Booth . . . Tempe . . . they can count on me. I'll never let them down. Never . . . I'll never let them down. I love them . . . I love my kids. I . . . they can count on me . . . "

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


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